About this project

$23,672

pledged of $20,000 goal

353

backers

We did it! Thanks to you, we surpassed our goal of 20K! Our campaign is now over, but you can still help STREET FIGHTING MAN by visiting our official website and clicking on "support."http://www.streetfightingmanthemovie.com

For detailed updates and the ability to connect with the filmmakers and other fans/supporters of STREET FIGHTING MAN, please "like" the film on Facebook. Its the easiest way to stay in touch!http://www.facebook.com/documentarymovie

“It looks like ‘Street Fighting Man’ is going to be a powerful, beautifully shot piece of work that gracefully combines a socially relevant issue with some great, cinematic filmmaking.”- Jay Cheel, Director of Beauty Day & Founder of The Documentary Blog

“Does not scrub away any of the harsh realities that might unsettle or even disturb viewers who perhaps are more accustomed to the memes that keep them at a safe artistic distance. In ‘Street Fighting Man,’ these realities take on eye-opening awareness wiping away the expectations of exoticism that inadvertently creeps into some documentaries about the urban crisis in America.”- Les Roka, The Selective Echo

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Thanks for checking out the Kickstarter campaign for STREET FIGHTING MAN! Making this film has been a moving and transformative experience for me, and I look forward to sharing it with you! Not only is your pledge an important part of the production process, it will also help shine a light on how difficult and complicated life can be for people in post-industrial communities throughout the world.

What would you do to make money if you couldn't find a job? How would you try and secure your neighborhood if social services like police and fire were scarce? How would you find a permanent home if you were homeless? Unfortunately, these are questions that are way too common in our communities. Regardless of where you live, we all care about the same things. We all want security, peace, and the opportunity to leave behind something lasting for future generations. It is my hope that STREET FIGHTING MAN will offer an eye-opening perspective on American life and allow audiences the opportunity to find common ground with our subjects.

If you have any questions about the project, I'd love to hear from you. Please message me directly! ~ Andrew

THE BASICS

STREET FIGHTING MAN is a feature-length, character-driven documentary that follows three inner-city men – each a generation apart – as they seek to define their lives in post-industrial Detroit. Deris Solomon is a young single father who wants to leave behind a high-risk life on the streets; Luke Williams is a middle-aged man remodeling a former crack house after being homeless for several years; and James “Jack Rabbit” Jackson is a retired police officer struggling to save his neighborhood from crime after the local police station is dissolved. Through the stories of these men, the film unflinchingly reveals how hard it can be to build a future when everything seems to be crumbling around you.

The picture painted of Detroit in the national media is bleak. It is a portrait of a city in critical condition, placed within the context of a nation in crisis. Given the dramatic proportions of this tale, many storytellers eager to help us better understand this moment in US history have flocked to Detroit and made it the focus of their recent work. In a recent article in Guernica, professor John Patrick Leary from Wayne University categorized the different types of stories that are emerging in the public imagination of the city: Detroit as ruin porn, Detroit as utopian possibility, and Detroit as metonym for the American condition. But as Detroit blogger Willy Staley points out (in his response to Leary’s article), “the neighborhoods of Detroit tell the real story.” STREET FIGHTING MAN is the story of Detroit’s neighborhoods and the people who have persisted there in the face of extreme hardship.

But that’s not all there is to it. The film also explores crime, poverty, education, and the decline of the black middle class in America. It also explores why economic inequality plays a role in creating disconnect between generations. And most importantly, the film asks the universal question: what we are leaving behind for future generations?

And it does all of this by telling three specific human stories.

THE SUBJECTS

21 year-old single parent, Deris Solomon, dropped out of high school after being shot in the leg at a football game. After living on the streets, selling drugs, stealing, and shooting dice, Deris gets his girlfriend pregnant. Faced with parenthood, he decides to finish school and build a stable life for his daughter; a life he never had. Deris enrolls in the Young Detroit Builders (YDB), a non-profit that educates high school dropouts and prepares them for their GED. Because his father has been in jail for as long as he can remember, Deris is determined to be present in his daughter’s life. However, when getting an education does not pay the bills, the promise of quick money makes it difficult for Deris to walk away from the hustle of the streets.

Deris takes the bus to and from school every day.

Homeless and struggling, 40 year old Luke Williams manages to purchase a former crack house for 1,500 dollars. He lives there with no water or electricity, while gathering materials to repurpose the home. He sleeps on a mattress in the attic, lives on canned or donated food, and showers at a nearby truck stop. His dog Irie is his only constant companion as he undergoes the daunting process of remodeling the abandoned home. He collects cans and takes odd jobs to raise the money required to hang drywall, install doors, repair the plumbing, replace windows, and paint the exterior. Just before Christmas, on the coldest day of the year, tragedy strikes and Luke is faced with a decision: stay and give Detroit another chance or leave and try to start a new life somewhere else.

Luke works on his unfinished home day and night.

Everyone in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood knows James "Jack Rabbit" Jackson; an eccentric, 63-year-old retired police officer who used to drive the neighborhood ice cream truck. He has lived in Detroit his entire life, watching as many of his friends and family moved to the suburbs to escape rising taxes, increasing crime, and failing public schools. Nostalgia for a bygone era, when Detroit was home to a burgeoning black middle class, keeps Jack Rabbit firmly rooted in his community despite an influx of drugs, arson, and theft. Since the local police station closed due to budget cuts, crime is on the rise and long-time residents are moving out. Armed with a small pistol, a phone, and a video camera with night vision, Jack Rabbit patrols the neighborhood, intimidates criminals, and responds to calls from neighbors in distress. His mission is simple: keep the neighborhood clean and safe in an effort to discourage families from leaving. However, not everyone in the neighborhood understands or appreciates his efforts. When violence escalates between several young men who grew up on his street, Jack Rabbit discovers that the most challenging battles are often fought within.

Jack Rabbit often visitis his neighbors to gather information and offer advice.

HOW YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE USED

Since successfully reaching our goal in our first Kickstarter campaign, the team of STREET FIGHTING MAN has been hard at work shooting the remainder of the film, applying for documentary grants, hosting fundraising events, and expanding what began as a small crew into a working team, full of producers, editors, advisors, and a composer. We are currently working toward a rough cut and plan to be completely done with the film by late summer.

Post-production is the most expensive phase of this film. Including the money we hope to raise from this campaign, we are trying to raise over 60k during the next two months. Kickstarter is just one way for us to inch closer to that goal. We recently secured a sizable donation from an investor in Detroit, but we are still a ways out from reaching 60k. While our Kickstarter goal may seem relatively low by comparison at only 20k, reaching that figure will push our overall post-production budget toward the 60k mark and allow us to pay for the following items:

1. Editor (Greg Snider, award-winning editor of How to Die in Oregon)

2. Composer (will be announcing soon)

3. Archival news footage

4. Sound editing and mixing

5. Color correction

Creating a truly lasting film requires that we collaborate with talented people like Greg. It also requires a professional polish that comes from serious sound editing and color correction. These are crucial ingredients for the completion of a quality film that will do justice to the stories we've captured. But there are other costs as well; things that many people don't think about such as legal fees, music licensing, and exhibition copies of the film for theaters and film festivals. With your help, we can pay for all of these necessary expenses and prepare STREET FIGHTING MANfor the wide audience it deserves.

This police station on Detroit’s East side was closed down when the city could no longer afford operating costs.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD

The easiest way to help us spread the word is to get involved on Facebook. Click the ‘like’ icon at the top of this page to share our Kickstarter campaign with your Facebook friends. You can also ‘like’ our official Facebook page and get directly involved with the filmmakers and other fans of the project. Its a great place to connect with the STREET FIGHTING MAN community and stay up to date with our production.

We have also prepared five tweets to help you spread the word on Twitter. There is a sizable community of people on Twitter just waiting to hear about great projects like this. Just copy and paste the text below and share our film with your followers!

Yes! Absolutely! Sharing this campaign with friends, loved ones, and colleagues is just as important as pledging your financial support. We encourage you to post our campaign on facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumbler, and blogger! And please consider becoming a fan of the film on facebook too! Its a great way to show support and get involved with the ever-growing STREET FIGHTING MAN community. http://www.facebook.com/documentarymovie

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $12 or more
About $12

“CITY OF THE STRAITS” For $12 or more, you'll get our sincere gratitude AND a personalized limited-edition postcard printed with a beautiful still from the film. Each postcard will be numbered, printed, and watermarked by Beachfire Pictures.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $33 or more
About $33

“ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY” You’re part of the team! For $33 or more, you'll get all of the above AND a digital download of the completed film, a digital copy of the official Street Fighting Man poster, and a special thanks credit!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $55 or more
About $55

“CITY OF CHAMPIONS” For $55 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $33 level AND a special edition, pre-release DVD OR BLURAY copy of the completed film signed by director Andrew James. That’s money well spent!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $145 or more
About $145

“PARIS OF THE MIDWEST” For $145 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $85 level AND your very own limited-edition print of the movie poster, created and signed by the enormously talented Detroit-based artist Morgan Marentic! The poster will be a work of art worthy of prominent display in your home or office, as well as a memento of your generous support of the production of the film! Each poster will be printed, numbered, and watermarked by Beachfire Pictures.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

“BOSTON PACKAGE” For $200 or more, you'll get everything mentioned at the $145 level AND one season pass to The DocYard’s bi-weekly film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA, courtesy of producer Sara Archambault! There are several seasons to choose from. Just make sure you live in the Boston area! For more information on the series, you can visit: http://thedocyard.com

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

"TRAVERSE CITY PACKAGE" For $200 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $145 level AND 2 tickets to 2 screenings (4 tickets total) at the 2012 Traverse City Film Festival in Traverse City, MI, courtesy of producer Katie Tibaldi! Dates negotiable. Screening selections not negotiable.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $260 or more
About $260

“EDUCATIONAL PACKAGE” For $260 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $33 level AND a DVD copy of the educational version of Street Fighting Man - which comes with a limited public performance license that allows classroom use, on-campus screenings, creative meet-ups, and other non-commercial showings. Does your group qualify? Please message us.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $313 or more
About $313

“THE 313” For $313 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $125 level AND your very own limited-edition set of 5 8X10 photographs, featuring important locations from the film and some incredible Detroit iconography from prominent Detroit photographer and executive producer, Joe Vaughn! Joe has photographed the likes of Eminem, The White Stripes, and Joanna Newsom. Check out Joe's website to see a sampling of his work: http://www.joevaughn.com. Each photo will be printed, numbered, and watermarked.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $620 or more
About $620

“PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY PACKAGE” For $620 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $313 level AND a 2 minute documentary film on a theme of your choosing directed, shot, and edited by Andrew James! Just decide what you want the theme to be and Andrew will do the rest. You'll even be credited as the Executive Producer of the short. And it will be completely yours!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

“ROCK CITY” You rock! For $1000 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $313 level AND a “Contributing Producer” credit once the film is complete! We will send you regular updates and you’ll have access to bonus footage before the film is released!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $4,000 or more
About $4,000

“MOTOWN” For $4,000 or more, you'll get everything listed at the $313 level AND an “Associate Producer“ credit once the film is complete! We will send you regular updates and you’ll have access to bonus footage before the film is released! You’ll also get 2 tickets to the World Premiere (or a different festival screening - your choice) and a celebratory dinner with the filmmakers at whichever festival you decide to attend! Travel and lodging not included.